About Chicago

Explore Chicago

Discover things to do in Chicago in the visitor resources guide provided by Choose Chicago. The Visitors Services & Resources section is a great resource. Ideas to get you started are also listed below. The Sheraton Grand Chicago offers a full service concierge.

Boat Tours - A boat tour offers a unique Chicago lakefront or river experience you won't soon forget. From the luxury to the budget, there is a fun boat for every occasion along Chicago's Lake Michigan and Chicago River!

Millennium Park - Discover a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and art that provide the backdrop for hundreds of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours, and family activities. In Millennium Park, you’ll find a new kind of town square – a lively, spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city and a destination for Chicagoans and visitors alike.

Navy Pier - Enjoy the view of the city from the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel, one of many attractions at one of the largest entertainment piers in the USA. For the more active attendee, there is an 18 mile lakefront bike way extending along Chicago’s shoreline, used for biking, jogging, in-line skating and hiking. Bike and in-line skates can be rented from Bike Chicago at Navy Pier.

The Art Institute of Chicago - Located in Grant Park, it is one of the great museums of the world. Its collection spans 5000 years of visual expression and contains one of the largest collections of Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings outside France.

Major attractions of the Museum Campus include:

Shedd Aquarium - From whales to snails, tarantulas to turtles, you’ll meet 32,500 creatures from aquatic habitats around the world.

Field Museum - Discover Sue, the world's largest and most complete T. rex ever found! Over 20 million artifacts inhabit the nine acres of exhibit halls.

Further south is the Museum of Science and Industry where you can explore the wonders of science and nature in the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere.

The Chicago History Museum is the city’s oldest cultural institution and provides a complete history of Chicago from the earliest days.

Access is free at Lincoln Park Zoo. It offers a world of wildlife in the shadow of skyscrapers.

Shopping

Magnificent Mile - This cosmopolitan, history-packed section of Michigan Avenue teems with shopping, dining, and entertainment treasures that make any trip unforgettable. Chicago's shopping destinations also extend throughout the city. Chicago’s Loop has been a shopper’s paradise for more than a century and is anchored by State Street, where you can stroll through the legendary Macy's on State Street that's part retail mecca, part history museum. Also don't miss the boutiques that line the streets of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods.

Chicago dining is famed for its fantastic cuisine, including pizza, steakhouses, seafood, ethnic foods, and more.

Music, Performing Arts, Nightlife, and Comedy

Chicago offers a variety of entertainment options. Dance, symphony and opera productions are performed at venues throughout the city. Small clubs specializing in jazz, blues and country music offer first class entertainment in an intimate setting. In Chicago's 200+ theaters, you can find everything from Broadway world premieres to edgy original plays. Or for an evening of laughs, turn to the masters of improv, standup and sketch comedy. Chicago's comedy scene is responsible for launching the careers of such famous performers as John Belushi, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, and many others. From traditional stand-up to competitive improv to sketch, find it at The Second City, Zanies, ComedySportz and Chicago's other top comedy clubs.

In Oak Park, the home/studio of Frank Lloyd Wright (951 W Chicago) is open to the public, and there are many examples of his Prairie style architecture in the area, including Unity Temple.

Brookfield Zoo covers 216 acres, 14 miles west of downtown. This zoo has specialized in providing natural outdoor habitats for the animals since it was opened in 1934.

The Morton Arboretum, founded in 1922, covers 1700 acres in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, located 25 miles west of downtown. Some 3300 species are represented in this scientific laboratory of woody plants.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is located in north suburban Glencoe. Established in 1965, there are 26 garden areas on 385 acres, arranged around a series of man-made lakes.

History

Information on Chicago's interesting history can be found on the City of Chicago's website.